Slavic Priests and Priesthood
RodnikEtymology
The most common word for Slavic priests was Volkhv (Влъхв, Волхвы́, Волхв etc.), and its meaning can be interpreted in a number of ways. The most common interpretations are that it either originates from the word влъшьба ( Vlashba) which means “magic” or “magi”.
Some scholars have connected it with the words Volos,Volosati,Volhvati meaning long hair and beard, which I will mention later. From the root volhv also stem the words for “magic”, “spell”, and for a few words in some Slavic languages which mean “seer”, “fortune teller”, or “healer”. The other common word for a Slavic priest was Zhrets (Жрец, Žrec), coming from the old Slavic ‘’жръти’’ (zhrti) which meant “to make a sacrifice”. From that comes the Slavic word for “sacrificial victim”, ‘’Zhertva’’ (‘‘Жертва‘‘/ ’’žrtev’’). The Latin sources use the words ministri, sacerdotes, flamines and pontifices, which carry a meaning of religious prestige.
So if we follow the etymology for these words, we start to get somewhat of an idea of the role of the Slavic priest.
Appearance
If we follow the depictions of Slavic priests, may it be literary, material, original or more recent ones from the 18th and 19th centuries, we can certainly point out a few things. The common theme is that they often had beards and long robes, apart from that the sources on what they looked like are scarce.
Role in society
Most sources claim that the role of the priest was held in high regard and had a special relation with the people and the king. For instance prince Oleg of Kiev went to a Volkhv and asked him about his fate, and Tsar Boris in Bulgaria was to make games, divinations and rites before battle which surely involved priests.
The priesthood was most developed among Polabian Slavs.
Another presentation of their highs status was that in the lands of the Obotrites the priests were asked to tell if it was an auspicious time for a campaign, and they could even call for one. The priests also went into battle or lead rebellions, and we can see this in the numerous rebellions lead by Slavic priests, both in the lands of the Rus, West Slavs, or in the Balkans. In the lands around Arkona the Slavic priest took care of a sacred horse which only he could ride or touch. Some ceremonies were only attended by priests while the public had to wait outside the temple, so we can certainly say that there was a religious hierarchy. In a way the Slavic priesthood kept its archaic hierarchical form and relations between king and people.
After the introduction of Christianity, the Slavic priestly tales and rites went into folk songs, beliefs and rites, and the priests themselves became more of soothsayers than actual religious heads.
Conclusion and future
We can certainly say that the Slavs kept their priests in high regard and they were the leaders of the cultural life in Slavic societies. Though a firm caste of priesthood was not very established in the south and east, they still were considered men of wisdom and great spirituality. They truly were the bridge between the divine and the material realm, be it through oral tradition or their actions of sacrifice and leadership. Today there still are many who claim to be Volkhs and spiritual leaders. Many of them possess great knowledge and dignity, but a few, in my view, are spreaders of lies and falsehoods. Maybe in the future all of us Aryan polytheists, with our iron will and firm following of truth, will be able to initiate priesthood again and heal our societies. But until then there is much uncertainty and work to be done, work that is like a smoke getting clearer and clearer until it bursts into pure fire. That fire we must search for and pass on. Slava bogovi , hail to the Gods!